News and Stories

Dillingen, July 27th, 2012 – The Sarens Group was recently hired to lift a steel bridge at Dillinger Hütte’s premises on behalf of steel fabricator Schäfer. The company relied on its Terex CC 2800-1 crawler crane in order to complete the lift under challenging space conditions and an extremely tight schedule.

Performing lifts at a steel mill brings unique challenges— tight schedules, narrow spaces, and avoiding disruptions to the mill’s everyday operation. When it came to lifting the new bridge at Dillinger Hütte’s premises, the Sarens team involved in the project had to face not one, but all of these challenges. Overcoming these challenges was a necessity, since the new bridge will solve a longstanding traffic bottleneck at the facility caused by a single lane, 45 year old bridge. The bridge was delivered by local steel fabricator Schäfer GmbH, which made a 100% steel pony girder bridge with a span of 43 meters, a width of 4.50 meters, and a sidewalk in the bridge. The weight? 130 tonnes. “Due to logistical reasons, we delivered the bridge in four segments and assembled it on site,” reports owner and general manager Patrik Schäfer.

Immediately after the bridge was completed, the Terex CC 2800-1 came into the picture. “We chose this crane for the project at the mill because it met every single requirement, and it can move while under load, something that was completely unavoidable at the site because of the lack of space,” explains Sarens project manager Jelle Schepens. The fact that the CC 2800-1 was already in the region made it possible for the crane to be brought to the site (where it was assembled by four Sarens employees) with 24 trucks in a mere two days. The CC 2800-1 was set up with a Superlift configuration, a 60-meter boom length, an 82-tonne Superlift counterweight, a 160-tonne ballast on the superstructure, and no central ballast. The reeving was prepared with a gross load of 160 tonnes in mind, since 4.8 tonnes corresponding to the hook and 2.8 tonnes corresponding to the load-securing devices had to be added to the bridge’s already considerable 130 tonnes.

Projecting edges and an asymmetrical load distribution prove to be challenges

The lift itself required utmost precision from crane operator Andreas Sewerin, as the bridge not only had to be maneuvered past a lamp post while moving only a few centimeters away from it, but also had to be lifted over the train tracks and electric wires at the premises. The lift team also had to plan for rail traffic to be interrupted as little as possible so that the neighboring auto manufacturing plant would not be cut off from its own deliveries. Because of this, the lift’s success hinged not only on extreme precision, but also on speed. The load offered its own set of challenges. Since the bridge’s load was not symmetrically distributed, the Schäfer team stabilized the lift by using hydraulic cylinders at all four attachment points on the bridge. “This allowed us to position the load exactly how we wanted to while making sure that it wouldn’t swing around dangerously,” reports Burghard Hass, project manager at Schäfer. After balancing the load, the crane was able to safely lift the bridge to a height of 15 meters at a working radius of 35 meters. Next, Andreas Sewerin turned the crane approximately 180° clockwise and crawled with the load eleven meters. Once arriving at the calculated final position, he lowered the bridge at an increased working radius of 38 meters and placed it, with the help of a Schäfer signalman, on elastomer bearings with pinpoint accuracy. The entire lift was completed in less than two hours and to the customer’s satisfaction as the project was completed on time.

About the Terex CC2800-1 Crawler Crane

The CC2800-1 offers a maximum 660-ton (600-tonne) lift capacity at a 32.8-ft (10-m) radius and excellent lifting capacities throughout its entire working range. Its variable Superlift radius increases lifting capacities at further distances away from the crane’s base. A variety of boom configurations, including extensions, luffing jib, windmill kit, vessel lift as well as many other modules are available to increase crane flexibility.

Transportability is improved due to the CC2800-1’s unique open-boom design. These rectangular sections do not sit as high on the trailer as competitive boom designs, and no internal cross bracing allows smaller boom sections to be nested inside of larger sections to reduce the number of trailers required for transport. The CC2800-1 can be equipped with the exclusive Terex® Fall Protection System, winner of this year’s ESTA Safety award, which advances safety when rigging boom sections.

Its innovative IC-1 crane control system features a touchscreen with intuitive pictorial displays for operating ease. The crane’s exclusive Quadro-Drive on-demand system improves operating stability and allows the base to move and spin under load, increasing on-site versatility.

About the Sarens Group

The Sarens Group, which is headquartered in the Belgian town of Wolvertem, employs around 3,000 people and is one of the world’s leading providers of crane and heavy-load transportation services. Its customers include companies from the petroleum and gas production industries, the energy industry, the petrochemical industry, and the mining industry. In addition, the company has a separate business unit that specializes in the erection of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The family-run enterprise, which was founded in the 1930s, now boasts 101 branch offices in 51 countries.

For more information, please visit www.sarens.com.

About Schäfer GmbH Stahlbau

Schäfer GmbH, headquartered in the Saarland town of Dillingen, is a family-run company with over 60 years of experience in steel fabrication and plant engineering. The company employs 200 people and is one of the leading steel fabricators in the Saar Region with its comprehensive product range, which spans the gamut from traditional steel fabrication to complex plant engineering and construction; pipeline, tank, and container construction; belt conveyor system; flue; dedusting duct; filter system; steel chimney; power plant construction; and bridge construction projects. In addition, Schäfer’s range of services comprises the technical performance of projects, including structural analyses, and the preparation of production and assembly drawings.

Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com